According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the current economy, Americans shift jobs every 4-5 years, which translates into 8-10 job transitions, including several career changes, over one’s life time. With competition for jobs on the rise, a person’s continuing employability and career success are increasingly defined by his or her mastery of individual career development and the ability to effectively "manage oneself" (P. Drucker).
In this course, you will learn how to think strategically and professionally about your career self-management. Through this course you'll develop an objective, external view of your marketable skills as a solid foundation for building a strong career brand. In particular, you'll be able to:
- explain why developing a protean and boundaryless career perspective based on transferable (portable) skills is advantageous for continuing employability and career growth;
- design your portable skills portfolio, identify and examine critically important competencies underpinning your transferable skills, and analyze your career self-management competency gaps;
- increase self-awareness, pinpoint your career goals, and envision your future work self;
- recognize the central role of self-management for developing transferable, marketable, skills and create a customized self-management information system (Career Development Lab) for ongoing personal development and professional growth;
- conduct a thorough, competency-based job analysis in your area of interest and examine practices of evidence-based, data-driven competitive employee selection;
-implement your newly developed skills for crafting effective selection criteria statements and refining your job applications.

From the lesson

Understanding careers and career skills

Managing and branding your career to align with a dynamic employment landscape, and with your personal interests, values, and goals requires ongoing skill development. In Week 2, you will learn how to develop a skill-based view of yourself, with particular attention to transferable skills. Using a competency framework, you will examine your knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes as they relate to your career self-management.
You instructor for this week is Michele Forte. CDL Workout facilitators are Amy Giaculli and Val Chukhlomin.